New CSR Advisor - D. Shane Meador

Shane Meador stands beside 4501 as he starts up its cross compound air pump.

On this #techtuesday, we are pleased to announce that CSR has appointed D. Shane Meador to serve as a technical advisor of the organization. Meador is no stranger to steam, having led the rebuilding of Southern Railway steam locomotives 630 and 4501 at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM). He began his railroad carrier as a summer steam locomotive fireman at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in 1994 and qualified as a locomotive engineer in 1996 on steam and diesel locomotives. After being honorably discharged from the United States Navy, Meador began working for Norfolk Southern Railway as a Machinist in Chattanooga, while still continuing part time duties at TVRM coordinating the Southern 630's restoration.

Starting in 2010, Meador was offered the opportunity for a 3 year leave of absence from Norfolk Southern to manage the steam locomotive projects for use on Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program at TVRM. During that time, he successfully led the extensive restorations of Southern steam locomotives 630 and 4501 back to mainline service. By creating a safe, positive, and educational atmosphere, he was able to recruit and retain volunteers throughout the project which helped to reduce labor costs significantly. Shane has operated all 4 steam locomotives currently participating in the Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program on 6 Divisions traversing thousands of miles on mainline track.

Meador keeps a close eye on cylinder boring work on Southern 630.

Meador's background, leadership, and experience in locomotive management, personnel management, restoration project management, maintenance, and safely operating these unique and historic machines will be of significant benefit to CSR as it continues its dedicated work to keeping historic machinery operating safely and efficiently in the 21st Century. We are excited to have his input here at CSR moving forward.

HSB Update - a Primer on the Master Mechanics' Front End

On this #techtuesday, learn all about the Master Mechanics' Front End and how CSR is implementing one on a 1918-built 0-4-4-0T on Germany's Harz Narrow Gauge Railways. Read all about it in CSR's RESEARCH section.

This image shows Harz Narrow Gauge Railways 2-10-2T number 99 7241 as it battles the 3.3% grade between Schierke and the Brocken. Locomotive 7241 was built in the mid-1950's in East Germany and is one of 17 on the HNGR (currently 12 are in service). Known as the "new build" locomotives, these sizable engines are the standard power in the Harz.

Presidents Day - Teddy Roosevelt an ATSF Man?

View fullsize

On this Presidents Day (a.k.a. President's Day, Presidents' Day, or Washington's Birthday), CSR reflects on the work of so many great presidents in American history. In terms of conservation, Theodore ("Teddy") Roosevelt is nearly unmatched. A rugged outdoorsman and bold leader, Roosevelt worked diligently during his years in office (1901-1909) to set aside lands for conservation. All told, Roosevelt set aside 230 million acres (930,000 square kilometers) into conservation spaces. This included formation of 5 national parks, 18 national monuments and 150 national forests.

What, then, of this image of T.R. on the fireman's side of an ATSF steam locomotive?

During 1903, Roosevelt went on a multi-state, multi-month whistle stop tour, traveling through many western states, including Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, California and Nebraska. The multi-month journey employed trains on many rail lines, including the Union Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Railroad and, as evidenced through this picture, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.

This image depicts Roosevelt in Redlands, California, sometime around May 1903, in the cab of an ATSF steam locomotive with a crew member behind him. The locomotive is most likely an early 4-6-0 type steam locomotive built with Vauclain Compound pistons.

Roosevelt was quite popular with train crews, having been inducted as an Honorary Member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Fireman in November 1902. That said, it is certain that railroad management had a different view of the President, as one of his lasting legacies upon the industry was strengthening the ability of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to regulate tariffs the railroads could set.

This was achieved through the Hepburn Act of 1906, which gave the ICC right to set maximum railroad rates, among other items. Not only applicable to the railroads, it had jurisdiction over bridges, ferries, sleeping cars, express companies (e.g. Railway Express Agency), oil pipelines and shared terminals. In the end, the Hepburn Act, and predecessor Elkins Act of 1903, may be the most important legislative actions the railroads faced in the first 50 years of the 20th Century, and both were championed by Roosevelt. This regulation too may have contributed somewhat to the increased and unregulated growth in the trucking industry, something which took off post Second World War.

It was this trucking competition and overbearing regulation which contributed significantly to the downfall of freight railroads, but following passage of the Staggers Act in 1980, which effectively "deregulating" freight railroads, the industry has never done better.

RFIRT Rebuild Photos 1 - Move and Disassembly

Thanks to the generosity of G&G Metalmecanica SRL and its President, Mr. Gabriel Asenjo, CSR is able to provide images of the move of RFIRT locomotives 107 and 119 from Rio Turbio to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also shown is preliminary disassembly work of the locomotives.

Note: some time ago, RFIRT renumbered locomotive 107 to 116. The design of its tender and tube plate reveal it is, indeed, from the first order of steam locomotives to the RFIRT.

Below is an embedded version of the CSR Photostream on Flickr.

CSR Web Exclusive: Steam Returning to the Rio Turbio Railway

This photo by William E. Botkin shows RFIRT 119 hauling a train in 1996; it is currently one of two locomotives being rebuilt in Buenos Aires.

CSR is thrilled to announce that, following more than a decade of hard work, steam is once again going to return to the remote and scenic Ramal Ferro Industrial de Rio Turbio (RFIRT). Known for its fleet of 20 advanced steam locomotives, the RFIRT has been entirely mainline diesel-hauled since November 1996 when the last steam locomotives were retired and stored, though steam was used on switching duties at Rio Turbio coal yard and workshops well into 1997.

Beginning in 2003, however, a small contingent within the Argentine National Government, owner of the railroad, began plans to return steam tourist service to the line. CSR Director of Engineering, Shaun T. McMahon, was brought in to the project in 2004 to attempt to make it a reality.

Some ten years later, two steam locomotives and a Sentinel steam truck, have been shipped from Rio Turbio to Buenos Aires for reconstruction for operational purposes. The reincarnated steam-hauled service is to be initially passenger-hauling, and as such new passenger rolling stock is being manufactured at the same time as the historic steam equipment is being rebuilt.

"This is truly an amazing opportunity, and one that has been many years in the making," said McMahon. "I have been brought on by INTI and the Government of Argentina to serve as a quality control expert in the rebuilding, which is being handled by G&G Metalmecanica SRL under the direction of the company's owner Mr. Gabriel Asenjo here in Buenos Aires, Argentina."

One locomotive from each of two original orders is being rebuilt to operation – numbers 107 and 119. The railroad itself is quite unique; constructed as a narrow gauge line (750 mm or 2' 5.5"), it operated more like a mainline coal hauling line as would be seen around the world today. Unit trains of coal up-to 2,000 tons were hauled by single steam locomotives that weighed only 48 tons.

Of significant importance to the development of modern steam is the fact that Engineer Livio Dante Porta served as General Manager of the railroad from 1957 until 1960, during which time he worked to perfect many of the key developments crucial to the theory of modern steam locomotion, including the important Gas Producer Combustion System.

"Though the locomotives had been de-modernized by previous management at the railroad, this rebuild should take the locomotives back to their as-built performance, which is quite impressive," said McMahon. "It is also worth mentioning that a Sentinel steam wagon, the last overseas order of those trucks, will also be brought back to life under steam. This is an amazing thing for both Argentina and lovers of steam world-wide."

Restoration is already underway on the equipment, with Cromwell Marine subcontracted in order to provide workshop facilities and skilled staff with CM's manager Richard Campbell providing liaison between the companies. An aggressive timeline has been set to have the equipment under steam; if all goes according to plan, locomotives could be chugging down the railroad by August 2015.

CSR will continue to provide updates on this interesting rebuild on this blog and on CSR's facebook page www.facebook.com/csrail. To get a detailed background on the railroad operation, be sure to read CSR's white paper on the RFIRT, which can be downloaded here.

--

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Cromwell Marine had been awarded the contract to rebuild the equipment. Cromwell Marine is, in fact, serving as a subcontractor to G&G Metalmecanica SRL, under the direction of its owner Mr. Gabriel Asenjo. Further, the locomotives were shipped from Rio Turbio, not Rio Gallegos, to Buenos Aires.

Book Review: Camels and Cadillacs - A History of the South African Railways 25 Class Condensers and 25NC 4-8-4's

This 1981 image by Malcolm Best shows Condensing 25 Class locomotive 3411 taking on water at Hartswater, SA.

Author Phil Girdlestone
Stenvalls Publishing - 2014
ISBN: 978-91-7266-185-1

Renowned steam locomotive mechanical engineer Phil Girdlestone, a contemporary of David Wardale, Nigel Day and Shaun McMahon, has written an outstanding history of the most advanced locomotives to operate over the 3'6" gauge South African Railways (SAR). The twin-class of 4-8-4 steam locomotives were unique in the rail industry worldwide – the Class 25 condensing locomotives, nicknamed "Camels" by crewmembers due to their prodigious water range, were the most successful condensing steam locomotives ever produced. Identical in nearly every measure except condensing equipment were the 25 NC ("non-condensing") locomotives, likewise nicknamed "Cadillacs" due to their exceptional ride quality.

Girdlestone provides a technical perspective on the locomotive classes only an engineer familiar with steam locomotive design, and these classes in particular, could account. The book is structured chronologically, beginning with a detailed history of 20th Century SAR locomotive development, up until the procurement, design, and production of the 4-8-4 locomotives. The construction of the classes, which took place between 1952 and 1955, included the provision of a total of 90 Class 25 Condensing and 50 Class 25NC locomotives.

The detailed look provided by Girdlestone outlines both the strengths and weaknesses of these classes of locomotives. The locomotives were unique in that they incorporated the most advanced of mechanical improvements available at the time, a melding of European locomotive design and manufacture (in the UK and Germany) and important U.S. components. A one-piece cast frame, cast water bottom tender, tender trucks and roller bearing side rods were furnished by U.S. firms General Steel Castings and Timken (side rods). Germany's Henschel manufactured the majority of the 25 NC locomotives and North British Locomotive Company produced all but one of the condensers.

For the inquisitive student of steam locomotive history, this pragmatic view of their development points out areas of improvement, details the struggles of getting locomotives commissioned and associated "trouble shooting," and outlines the nuances of condensing appurtenances and roller bearing side rods. High quality technical illustrations augment the text. The performance of both condensing and free exhausting locomotives is also compared.

Of specific interest to CSR is the penultimate chapter of the book, preceding a phenomenal color image gallery outlining the class, which discusses in brief detail the developments associated with 25 NC 3450, otherwise known as the "Red Devil."

The following quote stands out to the reviewer:

...the trials were undertaken on freight trains over the 70-mile-long electrified line to Witbank, which with its 1 in 50 [2%] ruling gradients in both directions was a severe testing ground.... By November 1981 it was considered that the tuning up had reached a point where comparative dynamometer car tests could be carried out between No. 3450 ["Red Devil"] and a standard 25NC No. 3438.... These tests were carried out mostly in the upper part of the locomotives respective power ranges and under these conditions No. 3450 gave very high coal and water savings. Up to 60% coal savings per drawbar hp was achieved compared with No. 3428, equating to a 150% increase in drawbar thermal efficiency, and additionally No. 3450 was capable of developing significantly higher power.

While under less strenuous passenger service savings were slightly lower, it was evident to SAR staff that the 25 NC and, specifically, the Red Devil, were the most economic locomotives operating on the railroad. A railroad Traction Committee was tasked: "to consider the relative costs of steam, diesel and electric traction... [found] that steam locomotives, particularly No. 3450, were the cheapest form of traction to operate between Kimberly and De Aar and, by implication, on other sections as well."

In an era when the majority of steam-related books often belong on coffee tables, it is nice to see something with a similar level of "meat" as The Red Devil and Other Tales from the Age of Steam.

More information about the book can be found on the Camden Miniature Steam Services Site.